Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Cinema is the most prominent form of entertainment. It has undergone through tremendous changes over a century to the form of cinema we see today.Freaks is the story happening in a circus camp. With all all deformed and shapeless "creatures", it narrates a very heart touching and thought provoking story. It really reflects the treatment of the society towards handicapped. In good shape doesn't mean that you are the best... in fact, you can be a freak too.This is a bold step forward in the history of film making. Director Tod Browning risked his own career to make this film.A must watch for all film lovers. #KiduMovie

Greedy and conniving circus trapeze artist Cleopatra (a nicely cold and calculating portrayal by the stunning Olga Baclanova) decides to marry proud midget Hans (the excellent Harry Earles). However, after the other freaks in the circus discover that Cleopatra only married Hans for his inheritance as well as is having an affair with cruel strongman Hercules (a perfectly hateful performance by Henry Victor), they decide to exact a harsh revenge.The key triumph of Tod Browning's controversial masterpiece is how Browning sees the humanity and fierce loyalty in a group of unique individuals who are commonly perceived as monstrous and grotesque. Indeed, Browning treats the titular malformed characters with great respect and compassion. Moreover, Browning offers a flavorsome evocation of the circus milieu, wisely avoids crude sensationalism in favor of absorbing melodrama (although the conclusion does qualify as truly nightmare inducing horror fodder), and even further spices things up with a wickedly funny sense of perverse humor. The thoughtful script by Willis Goldbeck and Leon Gordon makes a powerful and provocative central point on how physical beauty can't compensate for a gross lack of decency and morality. The fine acting rates as another major asset: Leila Hyams makes an appealing impression as the sweet Venus, Wallace Ford brings lots of charm and energy to his colorful role as jolly smartaleck clown Phroso, Roscoe Ates contributes an amusing turn as the stuttering Roscoe, and Daisy Earles does fine and touching work as Hans's concerned girlfriend Frieda. The brutal climax packs a startling punch, with the ultimate fate of Cleopatra in particular proving to be extremely ironic and disturbing. Kudos are also in order for Merritt B. Gerstad's crisp black and white cinematography. Worthy of its classic status.

an eccentric film. a definition who could be enough for give the right verdict in this case. a horror. or an experiment. a crazy idea. awful. cruel, chaotic, crazy, bizarre, absurd. each word about it is correct. but, for me, it is one of the most touching films of all the times. a splendid love story. and a delicate poem about the small details who are so easy ignored. the world of circus. and few great characters. the courage of Tom Browning to give to the public the life, emotions and spirit of justice of a group of people not so different by the majority of us. and this does Freaks a masterpiece. because it is a kind of mixture between Romeo and Juliet and Titus Andronicus. because it is a film about innocence. sure, few scenes are not comfortable but , in the time of cries, special effect and symbolic stories who are ingredients of many horrors, Freaks has a coherent and charming and powerful story. and it represents source of profound reflection. about us. like each parable .

Is Tod Browning's 1932 film "Freaks" really a horror film? Well, somewhat. Some scenes towards the ending are really chilling, and the entire film has a haunting and unsettling atmosphere. Actually, the movie would be even better if it was a bit longer, which it originally was. There's thirty minutes that were cut out of this film and no ones been able to see it since a test screening in 1932. It was cut because the audience seemed to be disturbed and shocked by the footage. A woman even threatened to sue MGM because of how disturbing it was for her.And even without this so called shocking missing footage, "Freaks" is still genuinely haunting and even disturbing at times. "Freaks" is certainly a film that is far ahead of it's time, and that explains why it was very under-appreciated back in its day. It destroyed director Browning's career, and was a box office bomb! But, luckily, its gotten a second chance with film goers and is one of the ultimate cult classics.The film really does deserve the cult status, it truly is one of the best films of the 30s and definitely deserved some recognition! The freaks, themselves add quite a bit to the film, as well. Real circus performers were cast, including a man with no arms or legs and a half man/half woman, among plenty of others.Although some of the acting is pretty bad, it was the 30s, most films had some pretty bad acting, and a lot of the people in this film were, as I said, not actors, but actual circus performers.Browning's film is a masterpiece of the creepy and absurd, with touches of humour and heart.